1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus that converts a typical fork lift truck to a roll lifting, turning, and transporting vehicle in a method that revolutionizes a known use of such a truck. See FIG. 1A or 1B.
Buildings being built today, often times, are not structurally designed to suspend heavy overhead cranes for conveying rolls and coils of materials used in production facilities. Also, many older buildings are encumbered with overhead electrical, plumbing, heating, and similar obstacles. Such equipment restricts or prohibits the use of overhead cranes for conveying rolls and coils that are used in the manufacture of products using paper, film, plastic, foil, and similar materials.
2. Description of Prior Art
Patents that have been granted for handling rolls of material in conveying rolls of material wound on cores rely on overhead stacker, bridge, jib, and similar overhead cranes. Such approaches to handling rolls and coils are limited to the overhead environment of a given manufacturing facility. One such patent has been issued to Herbert F. Dalglish, U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,470. Three other related patents by the same inventor are U.S. Pat. Nos. are 3,758,144, 3,734,328, and 3,730,368. One other known patent is by one of the inventors of this disclosure Ralph E. Cullen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,143. This patent relates to the above patents and provides the added feature of ease of transfer of a roll of material from a lifting device to a cantilever shaft.
One other device on the market today combines a rigidly mounted center lift, that is rotatable, with a fort lift, and is sold as a complete machine. The operator must locate the lift truck in perfect alignment with the roll core in order to insert the center lift or proper engagement is not possible. When not done properly, product damage occurs or it becomes a time consuming truck maneuvering problem leading to a non-functioning purchase.